1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a solar compound parabolic concentrator of an electric power generation system containing fresnel lenses with a CPC (compound parabolic concentrator) and a heat exchanger for use in residential homes.
2. The Prior Art
Solar concentrators having fresnel lenses have been shown in the prior art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,376 to McLean discloses a solar heat collecting apparatus. This invention comprises glass domes consisting of fresnel lenses. Solar radiation entering the solar heat collecting apparatus is absorbed by the absorber plate, and transferred to a remote storage system by conventional heat transfer means. A simple parabolic reflector may also be added.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,789 to Fraas et al discloses a line-focus photovoltaic module using solid optical secondaries for improved radiation resistance. This invention consists of an array of linear arched fresnel lenses with a linear photovoltaic cell receiver located along the focal line of each lens. The optical secondaries may be parabolic in shape.
These systems disclose the combination of fresnel lenses, parabolic reflectors, and a heat collecting apparatus. However, the present invention differs in that it combines the fresnel lens, compound parabolic reflector and heat pipe exchanger.
The invention relates to a solar compound concentrator of a thermal engine electric power generation system. A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is mounted under an acrylic concentrating fresnel lens that concentrates the intensity of sunlight to five to ten times above normal level. Then the focused sunlight is further concentrated twenty to fifty times by the CPC collector. The intensified sunlight is focused on the bottom of the CPC. The high mirror quality of CPC allows 98% of the reflected rays to be incident on the bottom of the CPC. A cermet coating is spattered onto the top of a stainless steel heat pipe (heat exchanger) allowing for an absorptivity of 96%.